IMO Yasuda and 15 East are much better than Nozawa, and honestly you won't spend *that* much money, especially Yasuda where you can get out for $100/person without too much difficulty. I've never been to Hiko, and Gen it's not the best comparison since it's all about dirt-cheap lunch specials. High-end sushi-wise, NYC can easily compete w/ L.A. It's those good $50/person range spots that NYC lack.

15 East is excellent, the chef is charming, but Yasuda gets a broader range of fish, and the rice - if you care - is definitely better. Nothing wrong with 15 East, but Yasuda is best unless you are OK with Masa/Kuruma Zushi stratospheric prices.

the 3 varieties of uni, plus 15+ kinds of fish and shellfish i had at 15 East recently in the omakase was better than anything i've had at Yasuda...and rice was equal/better imo...and infinitely better atmosphere...and wine pairings available at 15 East...imo, there's no comparison...personally i see no reason to go to Yasuda when i can have better sushi at 15 East, or better price-point-with-still-great-fish/more-pleasant-vibe at Ushiwakamaru...

Put me on the 15 East is better group as well. Not only is the sushi superior, but the cooked dishes(hamo, tako, soba), japanese style desserts(soba tofu, sakekasu ice cream, zensai), wine/sake list are superior, not a fan of their western style desserts.

Yasuda does serve fantastic eel - and a friend of mine who's a regular at Masa and Urasawa agrees that Yasuda's eel is tops. Perhaps I should use a past sentence though, as I haven't been back since his departure.

I think Masa's eel at 15 East is the best , Yasuda did have more varieties of eel and I did like the eel at Yasuda. As far as Yasuda being an :"eel man in Japan" I heard it from Japanese friends of mine that say they knew him. It is quite possible that they were wrong and sushi man is correct. That said, if Yasuda was here in US since he was 18 years old, then he is surely not a trained sushi chef, who put in his 7 years in Japan under a sushi master. Massa at 15 East is in fact a trained sushi chef, whose Master still has a restaurant in Japan , and is good friends of Jiro , the oldest sushi chef in Japan, and perhaps the most famous.

Yasuda was an apprentice at Hatsuhana and worked there for years, right up until he opened his own restaurant. When he started the head Chef was Hiro, then Shin Tsujimura and since Shin went to Nobu, Seki.

I find Seki to be a very good chef. I enjoy sitting in front of him at Hatsuhana. I find the other chefs to be a significant step down.

About Shinbashi...I have had dramatically different experiences over 4 visits. As mentioned, the only way to go there is to sit in front of Nakajima on a Thursday or Friday. I did enjoy his sushi quite a bit, especially his conger eel. However, I was VERY off put by the service there, especially by Nakajima himself. There was a clear separation between the Japanese clientele and the non-Japanese clientele. It was to the point where it became uncomfortable and to be frank...it pissed me off. I don't need to be clearly mocked and joked about as if I didn't "understand" what I was eating. When discussing Shirako I was spoken down to like a child, followed by rousing laughter amongst both the chefs and the patrons. I was hesitant to even post this but it should be known, especially with the chearleading for this place that often occurs on chowhound.

I have never felt this way at any other restaurant of any designation and for this reason, I will never return. There is better sushi elsewhere in a much more comfortable setting. There are too many caveats to getting the "good stuff" there that does not exist at othe places.

Service aside...the sushi at 15 East and Yasuda is heads and shoulders better than Shinbashi (with Nakajima on a Thursday or Friday).